Austin Valdez

Photo by: BGSU Marketing and Communications

Photo by: BGSU Strategic Communications

Position:
Linebacker
Height:
6-1
Weight:
236
Class:
Redshirt Junior
Hometown:
Sylvania, Ohio
High School:
Sylvania Southview

2016: Played in 10 games, starting eight times … Named to the Bednarik Award Watch List, given to the best defensive player in the country … Also named to the Butkus Award Watch List, presented to the best linebacker in the nation … Fourth on the team with 58 tackles … Had two pass break-ups and two quarterback hurries … Added one tackle for loss … Twice posted 10 tackles in a game, doing so at Ohio State and vs. North Dakota … Had five solo tackles in that Ohio State game, as well as against Miami.

2015: Named first team All-MAC at linebacker … honored by Touchdown Club of Columbus as MAC Player to Watch for 2016 … played in and started all 14 games … led the team with 144 total tackles (58 ua, 86 a) … tied for team lead with 11.0 tackles for loss … had one sack … totaled two interceptions … had one quarterback hurry and five pass breakups … had 13 tackles and 1.0 tackle for loss in season opener against Tennessee (Sept. 5) … totaled a season-high 20 tackles – the third player since 2000 at BGSU to record 20+ tackles in a single game – in the home opener against Memphis (Sept. 19) … had nine tackles and a game-clinching interception in a win on the road at Purdue (Sept. 26) … had 10 tackles and a career-high three pass breakups in the MAC road opener at Buffalo (Oct. 3) … had 15 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack in the MAC East-clinching win at Western Michigan … had 13 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and an interception in a contest against Toledo (Nov. 17) … totaled 13 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss in the MAC Championship Game against Northern Illinois (Dec. 4) … had 11 tackles in the GoDaddy Bowl Game against Georgia Southern (Dec. 23).

2014: Played in 13 games at linebacker for the Orange and Brown … started one game … had 20 tackles and 1.0 tackle for loss … returned two kickoffs for 36 yards … had a season-high six tackles and a tackle for loss in his lone start of the season, a win on Sept. 27 at UMass.

2013: Redshirted.

High School: Is a 2013 graduate of Sylvania Southview High School ... coached by Jim Mayzes ... team captain ... earned all-conference and all-district as a junior and senior ... threw for over 2,000 yards and added another 1,000 yards on the ground his senior year ... led his team to a pair of conference championships.

Personal: Full Name is Austin Antonio Valdez … born Feb. 18, 1995 … son of Rafael and Susan Valdez … has three brothers … majoring in business education.